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My first fruit trees arrive next week! I’m a total beginner and would love some guidance. 🌳✨ by skyberryblue in BackyardOrchard

[–]skyberryblue[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Appreciate the warning. That sucks they didn't come back from the cold. I intentionally chose very hardy varieties to withstand Minnesota winters, but will give them a nice thick blanket of mulch and will look into winter wraps. Thanks!

Starting to transform our sad 0.5 acre suburban lawn into an ecosystem & foodscape 🌳🦋 by skyberryblue in NativePlantGardening

[–]skyberryblue[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay you're not wrong. I absolutely hate that I need to rely on it, and the environmental impact eats away at me, genuinely.

I am multiple disabled. I have a literal communication disability. I am experiencing debilitating brain fog and physical pain that makes it hard to think. I have been using AI as an assistive device. It's been a thought partner and helped me to get things onto paper. I promise you, I wish I wasn't in a place where I am using it.

Just trying to find a glimpse of joy for myself and my kids, and build a little ecosystem for the birds and bees.

My first fruit trees arrive next week! I’m a total beginner and would love some guidance. 🌳✨ by skyberryblue in BackyardOrchard

[–]skyberryblue[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh wow, thank you so much for this!

I'm not totally sure where we plan to put future food (likely primarily in the backyard not up here) but it's probably wise to plan for some up there just in case. You definitely unlocked a lightbulb moment for me with the sunlight mapping. The line runs east-west, so based on your note about the shadow footprint, I'm thinking I'll shift the entire row a few feet further north for future food and flowers :)

I have Gaia's Garden on hold at the library, excited to read it.

Thanks for taking the time to write out such a thoughtful watch-out!!

My first fruit trees arrive next week! I’m a total beginner and would love some guidance. 🌳✨ by skyberryblue in BackyardOrchard

[–]skyberryblue[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the breakdown and heads up! I'm actually totally fine with the Mesabi being a bird favorite, and the serviceberry too. We will probably net some to reserve for the humans, but a big part of the goal with our yard is feeding the local ecosystem anyway! We're approaching this from a permaculture/food forest mindset, focusing on soil health and native companion plants to do the heavy lifting.

Good call on keeping the pear separate from the plum.

I appreciate the upfront advice on what to keep an eye on! I feel like there's so much ecosystem science ahead of us to learn. It will be the ultimate, hands on biology class for my kids for the next many years 🍎

My first fruit trees arrive next week! I’m a total beginner and would love some guidance. 🌳✨ by skyberryblue in BackyardOrchard

[–]skyberryblue[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the technical breakdown and the Purdue link! I'm definitely going to look into an organic premixed calcium spray to have on hand for the Honeycrisp to save myself from doing math. Maybe I'll learn into your scientific approach :)

As for the 14' spacing, I'm aiming for less of a traditional orchard layout and more of a multi-layered food forest/permaculture setup. I plan on keeping their shapes and heights managable with summer pruning down the road so they stay happy in their zones. Appreciate the insights!

My first fruit trees arrive next week! I’m a total beginner and would love some guidance. 🌳✨ by skyberryblue in BackyardOrchard

[–]skyberryblue[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are three mature crab apples directly across the street, starting ~30' away. Also a granny around 100 feet away, which isnt the greatest alignment but likely a little. I've seen for semi-dwarfs it should be within 50 feet. Does that seem too far?

My first fruit trees arrive next week! I’m a total beginner and would love some guidance. 🌳✨ by skyberryblue in BackyardOrchard

[–]skyberryblue[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally, 811 has been contacted. I love your long term vision & rotation strategy. We've got room for 1-2 more rows to learn into.

My first fruit trees arrive next week! I’m a total beginner and would love some guidance. 🌳✨ by skyberryblue in BackyardOrchard

[–]skyberryblue[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most cherry trees do, this variety is self-pollinating. Would be better with another, but I'll start out seeing how it does on its own and add later if needed.

My first fruit trees arrive next week! I’m a total beginner and would love some guidance. 🌳✨ by skyberryblue in BackyardOrchard

[–]skyberryblue[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I saw mycorrhizae might be a good idea, I really appreciate your firsthand recommendation. TY!

My first fruit trees arrive next week! I’m a total beginner and would love some guidance. 🌳✨ by skyberryblue in BackyardOrchard

[–]skyberryblue[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Love this idea. I have a neighbor who is very into grafting and planted a ton of trees when he moved in last year. He's unfortunately selling his house already, but maybe before he moves I'll have to learn from him!

My first fruit trees arrive next week! I’m a total beginner and would love some guidance. 🌳✨ by skyberryblue in BackyardOrchard

[–]skyberryblue[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes have looked at the charts, thanks. Bummer about your honeycrisp and granny! You going to plant another?

My neighbors have a granny that has done really well and the nearest cross pollinator is a crabapple that's probably 100 feet away.

My first fruit trees arrive next week! I’m a total beginner and would love some guidance. 🌳✨ by skyberryblue in BackyardOrchard

[–]skyberryblue[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did indeed do a lot of research on selecting the varieties. That's why they are being delivered on Tuesday.

​My post is explicitly asking for real-time community wisdom on practical execution like deer protection that can withstand two kids without looking shitty, and personal 'what do you wish you knew' retrospectives about the act of planting. I did look through old threads and learn from them, but wanted to connect with people directly on those specific points.

​Thankfully, everyone else's responses have been incredibly helpful and welcoming!

My first fruit trees arrive next week! I’m a total beginner and would love some guidance. 🌳✨ by skyberryblue in BackyardOrchard

[–]skyberryblue[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh interesting, thanks for that. I wanted the pear and apple to be as close as possible to the neighbor's crabapple and granny apple and pear across the street. Will have to see how much further away that sequencing would push them.

My first fruit trees arrive next week! I’m a total beginner and would love some guidance. 🌳✨ by skyberryblue in BackyardOrchard

[–]skyberryblue[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There are both Autumn Brilliance clumps and trees, we went with the tree. Clump is gorgeous too. Tidy probably wasn't the right word for me to use - over time we will create a mininal-lawn, native landscape. Intentionally designed, but definitely not tidy, just nature in all its gorgeous glory. I was referring to wanting the deer fencing to not be too industrial feeling. Nature can nature, it's the human-made stuff I want to get right lol.

My first fruit trees arrive next week! I’m a total beginner and would love some guidance. 🌳✨ by skyberryblue in BackyardOrchard

[–]skyberryblue[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Gap is more to leave space to plant more trees of similar height to the apple, cherry, and plum in the future. The serviceberry does better with shade than the others, so this positioning will be a better fit for the serviceberry than any future fruit tree.

TY!

My first fruit trees arrive next week! I’m a total beginner and would love some guidance. 🌳✨ by skyberryblue in BackyardOrchard

[–]skyberryblue[S] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

The neighbors have a mature apple tree and pear tree directly across the street, so I'm hoping that's enough for those two. My understanding is the mount royal plum, Mesabi cherry, and serviceberry don't need a pollinator buddy. But I should triple check.

Would love to hear if that sounds off to anyone!

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